Shakhtar head coach Igor Jovicevic gave the first interview after the team has returned to Ukraine.

– Igor, welcome back to Ukraine! What emotions do you have being here again?
– It is good to be at home again. Ukraine is my second home. I feel great here in the conditions making it possible for us to work peacefully on good pitches, in free Kyiv. We were pleased, so everything is good, and we can prepare for championship start.

– What did you do as soon as you arrived in Kyiv?
– Obviously, I am focused on the championship. Match against Metalist 1925 will be held soon. We have to prepare, have to concentrate. We shall be well-aimed at the first matchday both mentally and tactically. It is a big challenge. It is important for us to start with victory to give confidence for the team, for the young players. Only through a victory we can feel good. It is important for us to implement the conceptions we were working during the last month on the field. Of course, it is too early, but we have to grow fast as a team. Young players have to improve themselves personally and understand that they are leaders now, that the focus is on the Ukrainian team. And we will work every day to meet expectations of fans and goals set for us by our management.

– The first session was already held after the training camp. How it was and what was the work focused on?
– It is an introductory training session. After such a long trip we had, after the plane, train, bus... The trip consumed a lot of time and the training session was introductory with emphasis on tactics. And this is also a preparation for Metalist 1925. There are several segments that we, probably, lacked in the last matches and we must to improve them. We explained to the team how to use the space, what we have to do to move to the last third of the pitch and have more chances when finishing attacks. We demonstrated it through videotheory, carried out a specific work, and this is one of the moments that will benefit us in the game against Metalist 1925.

– You are at the Shakhtar base in Sviatoshyn for the first time. What can you say about the conditions here?
– As I already said to Pyatov, Kryvtsov, Matviienko and Stepanenko, there is a very cosy family atmosphere. Very peaceful, forest, two good fields. The pitch looks like a hybrid one, but I was told that there is 98% of grass. Perfect field. We have here everything we need. So we will be here during these 10 days, so we can only think about the match.

– Did you miss the UPL?
– Very much. Who did not miss the football in general? We lacked this for a long time. We were following the other topics, external and social factors. But we are humans at the first place. Human wants to be free, to have the right for peace. And now we are not able to be free, to move peacefully along the city. You always look into the sky. There is always a pent-up emotion. But thanks to our soldiers, who are fighting for us all, for the possibility for us to move freely and peacefully along Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities we can also talk about football now. So we will try to thank our warriors for that power they give us through our part, sport and football. Personally I express gratitude and respect to them. I know that they are all fans. Some of them root for Shakhtar, the other ones support Dynamo and other teams. And we will try to bring a lot of joy to give the opportunity for them to switch off from their disturbances.

– Talking about the fans. Matches in Ukraine will be played without spectators. How much you will miss the fans?
– Absolutely. You know, this is like a garden without flowers. When you look at the stands and there are no fans, it is a football without a soul. Football is played for spectators and this is not that type of football we used to. There will be no emotions, no motivation... They excite you, because when the game is on, when you look at the stands and they criticize or admire, you start to move, do you best, overcome own limits. It is very important. Football belongs to spectators and fans. Of course, we will do our best on the field, each team in the UPL will show the maximum level, because we play for all soldiers, we play for all Ukrainian people. Yes, we play for scores, because every team wants to win, but currently despite all my respect for the football it is all in a way aloof. Temporary political situation plays a key role. But anyway, I am a coach and demand victory from my team. Fans demand victory from us. And we will fight for every score and every piece of the field in a sporty manner.